Becky Mingo
Becky Mingo, E-RYT 200, RYT 500, YACEP, is the owner of The Shala of Pittsburgh Ashtanga Yoga.
Becky Mingo’s love of yoga grew out of her early dance training. She has been studying Ashtanga since 1994 and teaching primarily Ashtanga since 2005. Her training started with Lori Brungard and continued Chuck Miller and Maty Ezraty. In 1999, she travelled to India to study with Sri K. Pattabhi Jois and his grandson R. Sharath Jois. In 2009, she completed her Relax & Renew Teacher Training with Judith Hanson Lasater. Becky is also a student of Iyengar Yoga.
Becky has a regular Ashtanga practice. Her personal practice is mostly about breathing and about asking the body to be steady, have ease and be still. Through the birth of three children, the diagnosis of two of the children with a deteriorating medical condition, the loss of both children and through various injuries, the Ashtanga practice has provided a place of stability and balance.
Laurie Ireland
Laurie Ireland wanted an alternative workout rather than running and weight training after the age of 40. One day she walked in to an Ashtanga Yoga class and never turned back! In the early 2000's, seeing the need for more Ashtanga teachers in the Pittsburgh area, Laurie had to travel to teacher training workshops to deepen her knowledge of and experience in this method. Laurie was honored to practice with Pattabhi Jois, his grandson Sharath and daughter Saraswathi in 2005 in NYC. Not only has she travelled every year to study Ashtanga Yoga with multiple master teachers, but she has also completed two Primary Series teacher trainings with master teachers Tim Miller and David Swenson. She is an enthusiastic, dedicated student and teacher of the Ashtanga Yoga method.
Leslie Wright
Leslie Wright holds an RYT-500 certification from the Himalayan Institute in Honesdale, PA. Additional teachers of particular inspiration have been Judith Lasater (Relax and Renew), Tom Myers (Anatomy Trains), and Jill Miller (The Role Model Method). Leslie shares her deep interest in physical anatomy in her classes, and over time, her students strengthen their own understanding of how their bodies move. Leslie is also a certified Yoga Tune Up instructor—which means that her classes are creative explorations of yoga poses using a diversity of props: blocks, straps, blankets, half-dome rollers, and especially massage balls of various sorts and sizes. Her students routinely use all of the toys in the toy box to support their explorations.
Come and play.
Sha Zhao
Sha Zhao began practicing yoga in 2007. Yoga quickly became a passion for her and a pathway to inner peace. In 2014, Sha spent two months studying yoga and meditation at the Sivananda Yoga Center in Chennai and Rishikesh, India. She has also attended workshops with many inspiring Ashtanga teachers. Sha completed a 200-Hour Yoga Teacher Training with Schoolhouse Yoga, Pittsburgh in 2017. Since then, she has taught Led Ashtanga classes and continues to teach other yoga classes at Schoolhouse Yoga. She joined The Shala of Pittsburgh Ashtanga Yoga team in 2022.
For her, yoga is not about how deep you can bend, or how long you can stand on your head, but about quieting the mind and cultivating equanimity. Sha's teaching is focused on the empowerment of each individual student. Sha invites her students to connect more deeply with their inner selves through the practice, and to find meaning and contentment in the present moment.
When Sha is not teaching yoga, she works full-time in international business, runs marathons, enjoys drinking tea, and is a proud mom of two wonderful adult children and a lovely cat.
Marla Tortorice
Marla Tortorice, 200 RYT, has been a vinyasa-based practitioner since 2018, but, looking for more, found a home in Ashtanga during the summer of 2022. She is now a dedicated student of the Intermediate Series, has completed a Level I Mentorship Program with Taylor Hunt, and is working on Level II.
Marla approaches her teaching the same way she approaches her practice—a daily search for both effort and ease. Asking more of yourself, finding your edge, but at the same time moving from a place of softness and surrender. In her experience, it is in that discrimination where we find steadiness.
Marla regularly shares pieces of her personal practice and teaching on Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. You can also view her website, here: https://www.sadhaka.co/.
Sam Small
Sam is an RYT-500 yoga teacher. She began teaching yoga in 2016 at BYS and Inhale Pittsburgh. Sam moved to Salt Lake City in 2017 and trained in ashtanga vinyasa yoga with two Sharath Yoga Center (SYC) Authorized Level 2 teachers, Sammy Brown and Sarah Jane Burkholtz. Sam taught Mysore, Introduction to Mysore, 1/2 Led Primary Series, and Full Led Primary series classes at The Front Climbing Club. In the summer of 2022 and in the winter of 2023/2024, Sam ventured to Mysore, India to study with paramaguru Sharath Jois at Sharath Yoga Center. Sam is currently practicing daily online with Marque Garaux, an Authorized Level 2 teacher based in Ohio. When off of her mat, Sam can be found with coffee and a good book, traveling, hiking, or at a music concert (typically heavy metal).
In Sam's classes, you can expect to find a warm, compassionate, and empathetic environment that is welcome to all levels of practitioner from never having done yoga before to students practicing more technical asanas (postures). Her approach to teaching yoga is to consider the individual needs of each student and to help them cultivate healthy practices to support their mental and physical wellbeing. You can expect a big smile and a laugh or two because Sam will never turn down an opportunity for humor in an ashtanga class. Lastly, Sam is a firm believer in the fact that the only prerequisite to beginning a yoga practice is a curious mind.
Sara Feley
Sara Feley’s first encounter with yoga was when she was in her freshman year of college. She encountered Savasana and it changed her life forever. Her work in the wilderness therapy industry, highlighted the healing and transformative effect of being in nature while in community. She has an MA in Integral Counseling Psychology. She immersed herself in insight meditation, diamond approach, and zen practices while grounding her practice in the Soma with Gestalt and a YTT 200 hour yoga therapy training. She became enthralled with the Polyvagal theory. Traveling around the world, she found a daily yoga practice through her month long stay in Mysore, India.
In her teaching, she creates an environment of openness and curiosity. Her classes, incorporate nervous system regulating tools and invite a space of inquiry and openness. She is committed to teaching, learning and being an active member in support of social justice in the community. In her free time she likes to volunteer, spend time in nature, engage in joyful movement, play music, spend time with community and play with her sweet dog.
Bethany Narajka
Bethany Narajka is a yoga instructor (RYT 200), death doula (NEDA proficient), PA certified visual art teacher, and dancer. In 2012, she began training in Ashtanga yoga while living in South Korea, an experience which continues to inform her teaching and personal practice.
She believes in teaching yoga for all bodies and remains committed to finding new ways to support every student who walks into her classes. She is a member of Pittsburgh Community Deathcare, and currently teaches yoga at The Irma Freeman Center and dance at Art in Motion dance studio. Follow her @jellosaladlady on Instagram.
Ashvarya Sinha
Ashvarya Sinha, 200 RYT, is a yoga teacher, astrologer, reiki practitioner and healer whose offerings are rooted in the Yogic tradition of the east while immersed in the scientific knowledge of the West.
Her classes and personal practice draw inspiration from various styles of yoga but are centred around breath, mindfulness, and humour. Owing to her background in Psychology and Performing arts, she is always exploring the mind-body-breath connection.
Ashvarya believes in the philosophy of ‘listen to your body, pause and do what feels good.’ She fosters an environment where students experience the therapeutic benefits of yoga as well as guided meditation.
Ryan Oliver
Ryan is a dedicated practitioner of Ashtanga Yoga. He began practicing under the guidance of Taylor Hunt in 2018, and has held a consistent daily practice since. He’s currently focused on practicing the Intermediate Series.
After attending the Trini Foundation training in 2019, Ryan began teaching in treatment centers, using Ashtanga Yoga as a tool for individuals struggling with alcohol and/or drug addiction. He has completed 3 levels of training with Taylor Hunt, and continues to deepen his studies of the Primary, Intermediate & Third Series by supporting Taylor and mentoring groups of new teachers.
Ryan approaches his teaching with authenticity, humility, and always a lot of curiosity. He has seen how transformational this practice can be, and enjoys sharing it with others.
Amy Schrempf
Amy started practicing for "a workout" but found much more than that. In her personal practice, Amy strives for strength and intention to balance out her flexibility. She enjoys discovering new ways to investigate postures and learning new lessons from each one.
Amy has diverse teaching experience, sharing yoga from studios to football fields to the Gulf of Mexico. Amy has studied the Ashtanga Method with Laura Gorham at the Shala, and visiting teachers Taylor Hunt, Krista Shirley, Kino McGregor and Tim Miller. Amy has traveled to Miami to study with Tim Feldmann, and most recently, did an online Zoom Mysore intensive with him. Amy completed her 200 hour teacher training with a local yoga studio. She completed additional training in the Rocket system with Amber Gean and Yoga Ah.
When she isn’t teaching or practicing, Amy practices municipal law. Otherwise, she is sure to be spoiling her two Australian Cattle dogs, Dundee and Saturn.
Ryan Perkins
Ryan had a very active childhood. He played sports but and sustained multiple injuries over many years. At age 18, he joined the military and continued the trend. Years later, those old injuries began to catch up with him. He needed to find a way to reverse the damage that had been done to his body over the course of his lifetime.
Ryan discovered yoga in 2005 and explored many styles – anything he could find. He was first introduced to the Ashtanga practice in 2007. He was drawn to the “foundational approach" of this method. He had been looking for a “maintenance plan,” and this seemed to be it. Ryan feels The Shala has the potential to exceed his expectations and he feels grateful to be a part of its story here in Pittsburgh. As he continues to explore the practice, his appreciation for it deepens. It not only benefits him physically, mentally, and emotionally, but also informs his philosophy. In a world where we manifest our direction, the only constant is change. Ashtanga Yoga helps Ryan manage his responses to the ever changing world. He is happy to share this practice with others, looking to add the same value to their lives. Ryan is currently a student of the Intermediate Series of Ashtanga Yoga.
Laura Gorham, MD, E-RYT 200, YACEP
Laura is the founder of The Shala of Pittsburgh Ashtanga Yoga, She now lives on the west coast. Keep your eyes peeled for future workshops when she visits Pittsburgh!